Rolex is a Swiss Uhrenmanufaktur, whose name stands for nearly 100 years for highest quality and the associated prestige. Rolex is world-wide therefore one of the usually copied clock marks. Apart from some considerable historically justified characteristics (see articles further below), above all two fundamental decisions contributed to the today's image of the enterprise and its clocks:

1. Unusually high continuity with the clock models

Nearly everything of the today available clock models gave it already in their current manifestation before approximately 50 years. All models in the process of the last decades experienced substantial improvements, this were however considerably technical nature and in very careful, individual steps were in each case carried out. Thus for example only end of the 80's the plexiglass was exchanged against sapphire glass. Among connoisseurs of the using clock market this is considered as one of the principal reasons to the high using prices of Rolexuhren, which are to be obtained also if it concerns no looked for collecting tank model.

2. Compromise lot work Design

The Rolex caliber of 3135, which is the basis for all clocks of pointer of three of Rolex in different arrangements, is both constructionally and optically appropriate for robustness, accuracy and long Wartungsintervalle. It builds therefore compared with the works of other hochpreisiger luxury clocks relatively high and comes along optically rather less responding. Besides it exhibits some constructional peculiarities, as for example red anodized construction units, a Brequet spiral and an elevator mechanism, with which the axle of the rotor in a seat from synthetic ruby is normally stored (the rotor mechanism steel in steel is built as ball bearing).

History of the enterprise

Founder of the enterprise was the German Hans Wilsdorf (1881-1960), which went around 1900 to La Chaux de fund in Switzerland, and there work with an import/an export trade found. After he had ordered watches there with success with Uhrmachermeistern, had received for these a running accuracy certification from the observatory in Neuchatel and had then exported her to England, he decided to make itself independent 1905, in London. In this year the created company "Wilsdorf & Davis "pursued the business purpose to import Swiss clocks of the 1878 created Bieler company Aegler SA to Great Britain. Since it was at this time custom the fact that clocks carried the name of their salesman and not that of the manufacturer placed itself for Wilsdorf the question, which name he should select. It decided for freely invented "Rolex ", because it was easily out speechable in all languages, can besides with five equivalent letters very symmetrically be written and left sufficient place on the dial. Supplementing a five-pointed crown over the label name, which was added only later however, is. The often kolportierten explanations to represent to the names "Rolex "as a technical term from the French words horlogerie exquisite may have to be referred into the range of so-called urbaner legends.

1908 were officially registered the label name "Rolex ", and 1910 a Rolex received the first honor. Wilsdorf recognized for a long time before its competitors the future of wrist-watches, which were common until 1920 still little. One believed at this time, the housing of wrist-watches was too small, the work could run exactly and reliably. Wilsdorf punished the Skeptiker lies, by succeeding to him around other time, for such clocks of running accuracy certifications to receive.

After England had determined 1915 high import taxes for clocks, Rolex shifted the company headquarters later after Biel/Bienne and to Geneva. 1926 were introduced those world-wide first patented waterproof clock under the name "to Oyster ". The secretary Mercedes Gleitze undertook the official attempt on 7 October 1927 as a first Englishwoman to through-swim the English Channel. Hans Wilsdorf recognized the large chance to make his new clock of a broad public well-known. He gave Mercedes Gleitze one "to Oyster "- clock, on the condition, it was during its channel crossing the clock with itself to carry and so to the whole world the outstanding technical quality of its invention prove. Mercedes Gleitzes agreed. Their attempt failed due to the adverse weather conditions (cold weather, strong wind, high waves) only scarcely before reaching the French coast, under normal weather conditions it would probably have created it. The clock however had gotten over the extreme strains well; it had proven as perfectly close and followed after more than eight hours in the icy water only few seconds. For Hans Wilsdorf was the failed channel crossing nevertheless a triumph, and it launched an appropriate advert on the title page of the Londoner daily paper DAILY Mail on 24 November 1927 for the then sayful amount of 4.000 Pound. It may probably be said that only one investment carried such fruits rarely: The announcement with the title "the miracle clock, those the elements defies" (The more wonder watch that defies the of element) catapulted the name Rolex suddenly in the public interest and the company made a world-wide term for very durable clocks; since that time starting from the 1930er years used Design remained as far as possible unchanged. 1931 were built for the first time by Rolex into the waterproof wrist-watch "Oyster Perpetual" a mechanism clockwork (Selbstaufzug), an innovative development for mechanical clocks and for Rolex was world-wide patented. Further milestones of enterprise history were waterproof the 1953 presented "submarine ones ", to 200 m (today to 300 m), which developed model further from "the submarine ones ""Seadweller "(1971), that as the first wrist-watch over a helium valve for deep sea divers (to 610 m, starting from 1980: to 1,220 m) ordered or "the Oyster Perpetual Day DATE ". 1954 were introduced the GMT masters. 1960 dipped one at the Bathyscaph Rolex 10,916 m fastened of Jacques Piccard deeply into the Marianengraben. That became particularly popular 1961 presented Chronographenmodell "Daytona ", which admits by the actor Paul Newman in a film appearance became. In particular in its variant with steel housing it achieves high collecting tank prices, since the manufactured number of items is kept consciously low.

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